Hamburg to Shanghai shipping route.

Ships leaving Hamburg for Shanghai head north east and cover a sea distance of 10,842 nautical miles (20,079 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 8,509 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Strait of Gibraltar, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 37.6 days at 12 knots, 32.3 days at 14 knots and 25.1 days at 18 knots. Liner schedules on the lane quote 33 to 54 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 132 sailings by 9 carriers (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk).

The shortest route goes through the Red Sea. Since attacks on shipping began there in late 2023, many carriers send ships via Panama Canal instead. That route is 13,762 nautical miles, 2,920 more, and adds about 8.7 days at 14 knots. Longer voyages burn more fuel and tie up more ships, which is why freight rates on Red Sea lanes jumped when the diversions started.

2,599 nm of the route, 24% of it, lies inside North Sea ECA and Mediterranean Sea ECA. In an emission control area ships must burn fuel with no more than 0.1% sulphur or clean the exhaust with scrubbers. That fuel costs more, and carriers add it to the ocean freight bill as a low sulphur or ECA surcharge.

Recent freight rates for DEHAM to CNSHA start at $1,800 for a 20GP and $2,735 for a 40GP. These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. At Shanghai (CNSHA) carriers give about 6 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 64 port to port routes from Hamburg in this directory, Shanghai is the 55th shortest. Closer destinations include Ningbo (10,728 nm), Kaohsiung (10,304 nm) and Xiamen (10,292 nm).